The world champion in Paralympic swimming ten years ago, in Montreal (Canada), the veteran Susanna Scharndorff, on Sunday (21), reached the pointer to represent Brazil in this year’s edition of the competition, which will be in Manchester (United Kingdom), between July 31 and Aug 6. The 55-year-old from Rio Grande do Sul hit the mark on the second and final day of the National Road Circuit, held at the Paralympic Training Centre, in Sao Paulo.
Suzanna, who competes in the S3 (Severe Physical Mobility Disabilities) category, needed 07min 69min in the 100m (m) freestyle to get the pointer. The swimmer completed the race in two minutes, 01 seconds and 12, as she qualified for the fourth Paralympic World Championship in her career, after her participation in the years 2013, 2015 and 2019. She had not reached the mark of the last edition, in Funchal (Portugal), last year. On that occasion, Brazil climbed to the podium 53 times, 19 of them at the summit, which was a record.
“This test was very important to me. I wanted to dedicate this race to everyone who cheers me, my children and my mother who cheers me from above,” the swimmer celebrated on the website of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB).
Gacha was diagnosed, in 2005, with a disease called multiple system atrophy, which affects the autonomic nervous system and affects movements. Because it is degenerative, the condition forces the swimmer to undergo repeated functional reclassifications (a process that assigns an athlete’s class according to the degree of disability). Most recently, in April, during one of the stages of the World Circuit, in Singapore, it was changed from the S4 category to S3 (the higher the number, the lower the degree of physical motor impairment). In 2013, when she was the world champion in the 100m backstroke, Suzanna was in S6.
The National Circuit was the last chance for the swimmers to create the benchmark required by the CPB and join the selection in Manchester. First selection was the International Paralympic Open, in April, also at the CT Paralympics. On this occasion, 20 athletes have reached advanced stages.
In addition to Rio Grande do Sul, two other swimmers stood out in Sunday’s CT Paralympic pool, improving their own Americas records. Ana Carolina Soares of Minas Gerais set a new continental best mark in the 100m freestyle in category S14 (intellectual handicap), with 1 minute 26 seconds, while Mariana Jestera of Rio de Janeiro achieved 27 seconds 89 in the 50 meter event. Freestyle in category S9 (2nd with lowest physical score – motor impairment).
The official World Cup call-up for Manchester is expected by the end of May. In addition to the athletes with individual marks, other competitors must be called upon to compose the relay events. Check out, below, a list of swimmers with an index of competition, separated by category.
Physical disabilities
S2: Gabriel Araújo and Bruno Becker
Season 3: Patricia Pereira, Edinia Garcia, Mayara Barreto, Susanna Scharndorf
S5: Samuel Oliveira and Estefani Rodrigues
S6: Talison Glock, Leila Sozigan and Daniel Mendes
S8: Cecilia Araujo
S9: Mariana Jestera and Rowan Souza
S10: Felipe Rodrigues
visual impairments
S12: Carol Santiago and Douglas Matera
intellectual disability
Season 14: Gabriel Bandera, Deborah Carneiro, Beatriz Carneiro, Joao Pedro Brutos
